| the original state magazine
My Secret Place
By Efren Ramirez, as told to Devon Jackson
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I normally go jogging on whatever film I’m working on. When I was filming Employee of the Month, I got lost while jogging up in Santa Fe. All I had was my driver’s license and a couple of bucks. I felt like I was running the entire day. I ended up over at the railroad tracks, and ran into this guy who was living in one of the train cars. I had my Santa Fe experience on that one.
When we went down to Albuquerque to shoot some interior scenes at a Costco, that time when I went out for my jog, I made sure to take a map with me. I ended up in this open square down in Old Town, and that’s where I found La Casita de Kaleidoscopes. I collect kaleidoscopes from all over the world, so to me, it was heaven.
I’ve been to other kaleidoscope places, in New York City, New Orleans, and Chicago. But they have specific artists at Casita. The ones they have are
not just one-dimensional, either. Most of their kaleidoscopes are handmade, and they’re from all over the world.
I’d go in there and stay for hours. I bought about eight on that trip. I got some for my manager and my agents.
The next time I was out there was to shoot Game, and the first thing I did was to go to La Casita de Kaleidoscopes. I brought back about six or seven that time. I introduced all my producers and directors to kaleidoscopes—and to Casita.
I was into kaleidoscopes as a kid. In first or second grade we made one, and we’d go to museums and see them. You look inside them and go, Wow! It’s a totally different world in there. They’re beautiful, and each one is very special to me. My favorite is one that’s called “Black Magic.” It’s opal. Another one I love is called “Circular Congregation.” It’s all stained glass and it has six mirrors inside. I keep mine in glass cases in my living room.
I enjoyed being able to get lost and stumble onto these totally different worlds in New Mexico —like the Oldest House, and the spiral staircase at the Loretto Chapel up in Santa Fe. The air is different. It’s that high altitude. It was fun walking around down in Old Town, too. I just fell into it. Old Town has a lot of history, and that’s what makes Albuquerque Albuquerque
Actor and DJ Efren Ramirez portrayed the ever-popular Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite, and will appear with Gerard Butler in Game, which opens next summer.